ST. CROIX — Jed JohnHope has been disqualified as an aspirant for delegate to Congress after failing to collect the required number of signatures from both Virgin Islands election districts, according to an election official.
“He did not meet the minimum requirement as per law,” Supervisor of Elections Caroline Fawkes said Tuesday.
JohnHope initially picked up nomination papers as an independent for governor on April 24.
But on May 19 — the final day of candidate filing — JohnHope shifted his plans and picked up nomination papers to seek the office of delegate to Congress instead. Records show he submitted his completed packet at 5:37 p.m., just 23 minutes before the 6 p.m. filing deadline.
Under Virgin Islands election law, candidates seeking delegate to Congress must satisfy nomination requirements for offices elected at large by the territory’s voters. Those nomination papers must include signatures from at least 100 qualified electors in each election district, for a minimum of 200 signatures total.
Fawkes determined JohnHope’s filing did not meet that threshold because he failed to obtain the required number of signatures from both districts, resulting in his disqualification.
“He submitted three in the St. Croix District and 28 in the St. Thomas/St. John District,” she said, adding that his disqualification is final.
JohnHope previously served on the governing board of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority from December 2019 through August 2021 and held the position of vice chair beginning Aug. 12, 2020.
